According to the South East Development Peace Initiative, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the Chief of Naval Staff, has recently been the target of attacks, mostly motivated by the war against oil theft.
The group was responding to the recent arrest of a 13-person crew on a Ghanaian vessel for alleged oil theft.
A ship accused of stealing crude oil, the Motor Tanker Sweet Miri, was intercepted by the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft.
A Ghanaian corporation owned and registered the vessel, which had a crew of thirteen people, one Ghanaian and twelve Nigerians, was apprehended some 174 nautical miles off the coast of Nigeria on its way to the Benin Republic.
The South East Development Peace Initiative stated during a news conference in Enugu through President Vitus Okechi that the Navy under Ogalla had demonstrated dedication and resolve to put an end to oil theft and sabotage.
“What the Navy needs is the support of Nigerians; with the backing of the government through necessary incentives, oil theft will soon be a thing of the past.
“You don’t blame those attacking him in the media. The Naval boss has become a stumbling block and cannot be compromised.
“So, they have to find a way to sabotage his efforts but unfortunately Nigerians are wiser, thus the continued support for Ogalla and his boys.
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“The Naval Chief has refused to be intimidated to stop the good work he is doing. Oil bunkering is a cankerworm that must be eliminated,” he said.
The Navy’s achievement, according to Okechi, a former commissioner for Enugu State, is a further testament to their will to combat oil thieves along the coast. He called the arrest “a giant feat in the fight against corruption associated with stealing of oil.”
“We know that the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, is equal to the task of dealing with oil thieves,” he continued, “so we are not surprised to hear that the Navy intercepted and nabbed a vessel carrying approximately 2 million liters of suspected crude oil without proper authorization.”
In order to help Ogalla consolidate and prevail in the battle against oil thieves, he pleaded with well-meaning Nigerians to lend their prayers and words of support.
